The Huntsman
by ArcticFoxTail
Summary: Sabrina can't take it anymore. After an attack by a mysterious huntsman reminds her of her own mortality, she can't bear to let Puck live with the burden of loving a human. As she struggles to come to terms with the relationship, her family attempts to find the pieces to the deadly puzzle of the Huntsman. (Puck and Sabrina are in their early 20's and Daphne in her late teens) R&R


** HEY GUYS! This is my first fanfic on soo I hope you enjoy! Sabrina and Puck are older in this story, as well as Daphne. I have not actually finished the series (I still need to read the last book) so if things aren't consistent with the actual story blame it on that and the fact that I haven't read the series in a while. _Oops_**

**_Reviews are very very welcome!_**

* * *

Sabrina ran. Ran as hard as her legs could possibly allow. The huntsman was closing in, she could hear his boots crushing the autumn leaves behind her. She was quickly running out of steam. How long had she been running? It felt like forever. Every evasive maneuver she pulled failed as the huntsman continued to gain. Her throat was impossibly dry as she wheezed, willing herself to continue forward. Nobody was there to save her. Not this time.

"Tired yet?" the husky voice called out behind her, "I'll give you rest."

No sooner had the man finished speaking did she feel an intense pain bury itself into her shoulder. Another followed before she could even squeak. With a grunt, she collapsed onto the moist earth. Sabrina felt like a cornered animal, her anxiety increasing with each footstep towards her. With whatever strength she had left, she began to crawl. Warmth spread across her back at an alarming rate. She didn't need to see what was protruding from her back and shoulder. It was obvious, as the huntsman only used arrows.

The ground began to warp and bend, and her arms could no longer support her weight. Her body shook as she breathed raggedly. Was this what it was like to be hunted? This was it. She was going to die. She was going to die and leave everyone she loved behind. She heaved a dry sob. Her terror did not allow her to produce any tears. The footsteps stopped and Sabrina saw a shadow fall over her.

"You know, you're lucky I have orders to bring you back alive. Otherwise, the first arrow would have killed you," He rolled her over onto her side with his foot, " Not in too bad condition." Sabrina couldn't see the man's face, it was covered by the hood of his cloak. A bit of hope sparked in her chest, but was quickly crushed at the thought of being taken in alive. Who knew what would happen to her. Perhaps it would be better to die now. A sudden thud and shout disrupted Sabrina's fearful thoughts. Before she could have even noticed, the huntsman was ripping out a throwing knife from his shoulder.

Throwing knife.

_Daphne_

Another knife whizzed through the air, this one catching the top of the man's hooded cloak. It began to slip off his head, the Huntsman cursed and pulled the hood back into place as he ran deeper into the woods. Sabrina's thoughts began to swirl, and the trees began to twist. _The arrows, _she thought. Without much afterthought, Sabrina grabbed the shaft of the arrow on her shoulder and ripped it out. She wheezed in pain, suddenly feeling much worse. Her shoulder became drenched in warm sticky blood. Sabrina's senses turned into mud, and she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

When Sabrina awoke, it was dark and she was on a cot in the living room. She felt like she had been run over by a steam roller. Then grilled. Then fed to some sharks. Her head throbbed painfully, but she couldn't muster the strength to move.

"Finally awake, 'Brina? Its about time."

Sabrina turned to the voice, it was a young man who looked terribly familiar. Well, that is if Sabrina had ever met an insomniac. The man had a mop of messy blond hair and dull bloodshot eyes. He had a bit of stubble, like he hadn't shaved for a few days, and dark circles that looked like he hadn't slept in a while. With a pang, Sabrina realized it was Puck. A glint of panic shown in the man's eyes. "You do know who I am, right, Brina?" he croaked. Sabrina wiped the confusion from her face as best she could, "Puck?" His whole body relaxed as he breathed a sigh of relief,"Good, I thought this was gonna' turn into some sort of soap opera." Sabrina smirked, "You watch soap operas?"

"No, of course not! But Marshmallow, on the other hand, can't seem to get enough of them."

Sabrina laughed a bit, but rested her head back on the pillow. Puck looked terrible, how long had she been out? Guilt nestled in her gut, she shouldn't have gone out to investigate by herself. She could have died, easily. Had it not been for, who she assumed was, Daphne, she would have been dragged of by the Huntsman to face some unknown torture. More likely than not, she would have died shortly after. She would have left her sister, brother, parents, grandmother, and Mr. Canis. She would have left Puck. Suddenly, another wave of guilt overcame her. She was the reason Puck grew up. To die for some stupid curiosity didn't seem fair to him.

"Brina, you ok?" Puck whispered quietly, interrupting her thoughts. He sat on the couch by the edge of her cot. He must have seen the worry on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired still,"Sabrina mumbled, as she tried to turn over onto her side, but was only met with searing pain. She gasped and returned to her previous position. Puck's face was lined with worry, he placed a hand on her shoulder, " Be careful, your going to hurt yourself." A bit of surprise surfaced, Puck wasn't usually one to give tender advice. A thought suddenly plagued her.

"Puck, how long have I been asleep?"

"A few days."

"How many?"

Puck hesitated for a moment, "A week. But you were coming in and out of consciousness."

"A week?!" Sabrina nearly shouted, but then remembered that everyone was probably sleeping.

"We didn't want to take you to the Hospital. There have been to many suspicious characters walking around Ferryport lately. We didn't want to take the risk."

Sabrina sighed heavily. Despite the hundreds of questions that now buzzed in her mind, her body felt terrible and she was tired.

"You should get some more rest, your injuries weren't exactly minor."

Sabrina wanted to bite back, she had been asleep for _a week, _how could she possibly just laze away while the others fretted and worked on the case. However, deep in her bones she knew Puck was right. Sleep begged to take her away from her throbbing body. Drowsiness began to overtake her.

"Goodnight, Puck."

"Night, Sabrina."

* * *

"Daphne, that hurts!" Sabrina winced, as her sister worked on changing her bandages. They had bled through sometime that night.

"Stop fidgeting or else I'm not going to be able to put them on right!" Daphne whined, struggling with the long white strips. Sabrina tried to stay still, despite the pain when Daphne tugged on the bandages too roughly.

"What kind of arrows did the huntsman use, anyway?" Sabrina said, still thinking about her week-long nap.

"They were barbed, and poisoned. The poison alone wouldn't have been too serious, but you lost so much blood," Daphne trailed off. The sisters sat in the silence of the early morning, Daphne tugged on the bandages again, "But I knew you were going to be fine. You're a fighter," she picked up her sentence again. Daphne gave the bandages a final tug and tied them a little bit too tight.

"What did I miss? How's the case going?"

"Nothing good, I'm afraid," Granny Relda called out as she descended the staircase, looking through one of the family journals, " It appears that there's been another attack."


End file.
